There are still some question marks surrounding Thibau Nys's road program in 2026. In particular, which Grand Tour the young Nys will ride in 2026 requires some serious consideration from his team. WielerFlits consulted his father Sven Nys for insight.
At Lidl-Trek's media day last week, we already learned that Nys, like many other riders, is on the longlist for the Giro d'Italia. The team could not yet confirm his participation. It was, however, made clear that Nys will start his road season, just like last year, at the GP Miguel Indurain on April 4. The Spanish one-day race is meant to serve as a lead-up to the three Ardennes Classics, where Nys already impressed last year with an eighth place in La Flèche Wallonne and fifth in Liège–Bastogne–Liège on his first participation.
No Tour
Back then, Nys made his Grand Tour debut at the Tour de France, where he crashed hard early in the race. That crash haunted Nys for a long time, meaning he was not yet competing for top results in his first Grand Tour. "The Tour fits less into his program this year," explains his father and Baloise Glowi Lions team manager Sven Nys to our camera. The team has also ruled out a new Tour participation.
So will he choose the Giro d'Italia or the Vuelta a España? That question remains open for now because the Vuelta route has not been officially announced yet. This will happen later this week. "It's purely route-dependent what they will look at: what suits him best? We also have to take into account that he had a very busy winter and the spring season that lies ahead."
"Do you then carry that over to the Giro afterwards? Isn’t that maybe too much? Which team leaders will still go there for Lidl-Trek? How is that route? Those are all considerations we will have to make," says Nys, who is conducting those talks together with coach Paul Van den Bosch and Lidl-Trek’s management. It is already certain that Jonathan Milan and Giulio Ciccone will represent the German team at the Italian Grand Tour.
Reservations about the Giro
The experienced former cyclocross rider does have some reservations about a potential Giro participation. "After the winter, Thibau will have more than twenty cyclocross races in his legs; there will be very little rest after the cyclocross World Championships to rebuild. Last year, that turned out very well in spring; he raced fantastically up to and including Liège–Bastogne–Liège with a top 10 in his first Monument."
"But then I did notice after that race: wow, it’s high time to schedule some recovery. Now you would attach a Giro d'Italia to that. Is that possible? Those are things that need very careful consideration in the coming weeks."
What if that Giro then turns out to be too much? "Then, possibly, the Vuelta would still be an option," Nys explains. "We still have to make decisions about that. There must be enough recovery; that is the main thing we want to safeguard. Because without that recovery, you won’t score in any of these disciplines. That is very important at his age."
Thibau Nys
